Who Says Kids Can't Make Money?

Let’s face it. Kids love to spend money! What better way to start on the road to financial success than to start earning money at a young age. Gone are the days when babysitting and raking leaves are the only way to make a buck! (Don’t count these out, though. There’s still great money to be made that way.)

Many parents and kids alike are looking for some extra cash. While a successful internet business is a cool thing, kids don’t have mortgages to pay and usually don’t have to feed a family. If you are involved in extra-curricular activities, committing to a part-time job is often impossible. Most of these options allow you to work as little or as much as you please.

There are really only three basic ways you can make money on your own. You can offer a service. You can sell a product. You can provide information.
Offering a service is probably the most common way that kids make money. Babysitting, lawn mowing, and snow shoveling are classic examples. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Remember, people are willing to pay others to do what they (1) don’t want to do themselves (2) can’t do themselves (3) don’t know how to do themselves.
Selling a product is also fairly easy to grasp, but more complicated to start up. You can create your own product to sell, such as jewelry or other hand-crafted items. You can buy items in bulk and resell them. It can be as simple as buying a cooler full of water and Gatorade and sitting at a soccer field on a hot day. You can also be involved in Direct Sales, where you sell products for someone else, don’t have to keep inventory, and get paid a commission. Think of Avon and Tupperware where you have a catalog and take orders. Most direct sales companies will need you to be 18 or older, but this can be a great way to earn some money as a family.
If you plan to start an online business, there are two really important concepts to learn up front – Affiliate Marketing
and Pay-per-click advertising. We’ll be talking about these soon, so be sure to check back!